Business Forum • 17 July, 2024 at 4:17 PM
Romanians spend an average of RON 70 (€14) per shopping session in Pepco stores, similar to the average spending in other markets where the retailer operates. These data are part of Pepco Shopper Study ran by the retailer in all 18 markets where it operates, in order to create the profile of shopper in terms of sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics taking into account the differences across individual markets and the changes over time.
The study reveals that 62% of Romanian customers visit the store at least 2–3 times a month, the highest percentage among all countries where Pepco is present (55% average of all countries). Romanians' passion for shopping is evident in the percentage of customers who visit the stores only once per month or less frequently, which in Romania is comparatively lower than the average of all other countries (38% in Romania vs. 45% average across all countries). At the same time, 71% of visits to the store result in a purchase, which is 2 percentage points higher than the average of all countries (69%). Additionally, more than half of the visits are planned (53%), whether it is for purchasing a specific product or category or for browsing and seeking out great deals.
82% of all shoppers in Romania are women, specific to all other countries, with an average age of around 40 years old. Usually, these are also professionally active individuals (80%) with at least secondary or higher education. Many of Pepco shoppers are parents, while 39% have children aged up to 14. The study also reveals that the average household income of Romanian shoppers is €1,268, which is considerably lower than the average household income of €1,611, in the other countries where the study was conducted.
According to as many as 68% respondents, low prices are the key driver to doing regular shopping at Pepco in Romania, followed by the availability of many product categories in one place (pointed out by 49% of the customers), as well as finding a wide range of home decor articles (34%). The close, convenient location was highlighted by 33% of the respondents, while 29% appreciate the friendly, helpful customer service.
The most frequently purchased categories at Pepco include home decor, accessories, and articles (75%), cleaning and storage articles (71%), seasonal products (65%), bathroom articles (65%) and kitchen articles (64%). When it comes to reasons for visiting the stores, 38% of the customers visit Pepco because it is on the way, 36% choose it because of a specific purchase need, 16% come to look around or browsing and 9% need to buy a gift. While visits with a companion tend to increase shopping and boost the shopping basket value, more than two thirds of the customers come on their own (68%), 14% are accompanied by their children and a similar percentage say they come with their partner (12%).
“At the level of all Pepco markets, customers make over 30 million transactions at our stores each month. Pepco Romania, like the entire chain of Pepco stores across Europe, has always focused on the needs and desires of its customers. We believe that paying attention to the requests or products in our stores that people prefer the most, helps us to offer the best services at the best prices. The Pepco Shopper study creates a very clear direction on our consumers and, automatically, the analysis of data and figures generated from it helps us to adapt our products and services to the needs of our customers,” claims Bogdan Grigoriu, Head of Region at Pepco Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.
Almost 40% of Pepco shoppers in Romania acknowledge that their financial situation changed for the worse due to inflation, which is why they appreciate the affordability of the shop's offer even more. Only 7% said their situation changed for the better, which is even higher than the average among the rest of the countries (4%).
These are selected results of the Pepco Shopper Study conducted annually in the markets where Pepco is present. Interviewers talked to nearly 10,000 consumers and 902 respondents were from Romania, during the study to ensure representativeness of the sample. Focusing on consumers and their needs allows the chain to grow dynamically, to adapt the offer regularly, and to fill shelves with new products. Their number is extremely high, as at each store there are 530 categories on average, which translates into ca. 13,000 items. The offer is regularly refreshed and improved with over 130 new collections every season.
Pepco Group was established in 2015 and comprises salient retail chains, namely Pepco, Dealz, and Poundland, cooperating with PGS – a global supplier. Pepco Group now has over 4900 stores in 20 countries, hiring ca. 47 000 individuals.